Thoughts of a space-mad explorer. (Adding depth and proper reward to exploration)

[Lugh]

Honestly the money problem with exploration isn't that its poorly balanced but that unlike the other methods it hasn't been exploitable to the same degree. You can't get those numbers with other activates you listed without gamming the system in major ways. Exploration is the only one that can't really be gammed beyond road to riches.

The problem is frontier has largely given up on balancing out exploits and gaming simply do to how its not possible. The community will always find a way. So instead they started balancing the game with the mindset of expecting players to game the system and only removing particularly bad ones.

At the same time I don't know that exploration needs to be a money maker though im not against it. but if given the choice I would always prefer they spend time adding more to find and do even if it doesn't give me a single credit. Unless you are looking to get a carrier you never need more than 300m in this game and you can get that in two weekends of relaxed play. After that money doesn't matter and simply makes things convenient. For exploration gameplay you need far less than 100m.

Honestly for people who need to see that number/score to scratch an itch I would much rather see a database/leaderboard implemented. Where I can look up myself or others and see how many of X I have discovered and how many were first discoveries. How many had yet to be discovered by anyone else meaning I was still likely the only one to have seen that. Then let me overlay an explorer onto a map. lighting up systems they have discovered with filters for their first discovery/only discovery and one for flagged discoveries. If a pilot goes to their own profile they can select a system to flag and add a little note as to why.

 

[Vetinari]

I got 1.5bn going to Sag A on a non-direct route 3 month expedition and another few hundred million from there to Colonia once so credits isn't the issue I agree and isn't the solution either.

 

[DemiserofD]

I got 1.5bn going to Sag A on a non-direct route 3 month expedition and another few hundred million from there to Colonia once so credits isn't the issue I agree and isn't the solution either.

Credits may not be the issue, but I think that it definitely is an issue. Take the new xenobiology, for example. As many streamers have recognized, at the current payout levels, it doesn't matter how enjoyable it is, many of them will do it once or twice, and then never again.

Fixing the credit problems won't fix all the problems with exploration, but you would certainly fix some of them, and would be relatively easy to implement compared to the development costs of several of the other problems. So I think it would be a good first step.

 

[Lugh]

I got 1.5bn going to Sag A on a non-direct route 3 month expedition and another few hundred million from there to Colonia once so credits isn't the issue I agree and isn't the solution either.

meanwhile I got 5b in 3 days doing passenger missions.

 

[Lugh]

Fixing the credit problems won't fix all the problems with exploration, but you would certainly fix some of them, and would be relatively easy to implement compared to the development costs of several of the other problems. So I think it would be a good first step.

I don't think it would fix any of them. nothing in exploration will be more enjoyable if it pays more. Like I said you can get enough money that you never have to worry about mony again in just a weekend or two of casual play. So making exploration pay more at best does nothing and at worst makes it the new best way for money forcing people who don't like the gameplay to do it.

 

[Astaran]

Credits may not be the issue, but I think that it definitely is an issue. Take the new xenobiology, for example. As many streamers have recognized, at the current payout levels, it doesn't matter how enjoyable it is, many of them will do it once or twice, and then never again.

Fixing the credit problems won't fix all the problems with exploration, but you would certainly fix some of them, and would be relatively easy to implement compared to the development costs of several of the other problems. So I think it would be a good first step.

Credits are pretty "pointless" at the moment anyway. I would actually charge into a completely different direction: Use the new Xenobiologist rank to unlock Exploration themed rewards (decals, engineering, paintjobs, tools, modules, heck maybe even a ship) and then use exploration data (star charts, space flowers) to generate a "currency" to purchase those unlocks.

 

[Lugh]

Credits are pretty "pointless" at the moment anyway. I would actually charge into a completely different direction: Use the new Xenobiologist rank to unlock Exploration themed rewards (decals, engineering, paintjobs, tools, modules, heck maybe even a ship) and then use exploration data (star charts, space flowers) to generate a "currency" to purchase those unlocks.

yeah that's what elite needs more of if you want to do/use x then you have to go and do y even if you don't want to.

 

[TheDragon2001]

I couldn't agree more with the original post and FalconFly's comment.
I'm a fairly new all arounder (E-Ranger, C-Expert, T-Entrepreneur). I enjoy just about every way there is to make money but Exploration just doesn't give enough of a payout to really be worth it, even with the occasional epic screenshot.

I also agree that we need more things to find, even if there is no monetary reward, it would help break the monotony of exploring. Derelict guardian ships, crash sites, lost/isolationist colonies, and the other such things mentioned above would be great, and could be made as a one-size-fits-all then randomly scattered to reduce the load on the Devs.

Additionally a very few other xenos as I have mentioned in this post. I figure if we encountered Thargoids and Guardians within a couple thousand Ly of the Bubble, why haven't we encountered other xenos within a few HUNDRED THOUSAND Ly?

 

[Astaran]

yeah that's what elite needs more of if you want to do/use x then you have to go and do y even if you don't want to.

Well, if you don't like exploring, why would you then even care about rewards designed specificly for exploration gameplay? Or for Frontline Lines Solutions for that matter? Just hurling more and more cash at people isn't going to help the game. Introducing new reward systems might bring in some fresh air.

 

[Lugh]

Well, if you don't like exploring, why would you then even care about rewards designed specificly for exploration gameplay? Or for Frontline Lines Solutions for that matter? Just hurling more and more cash at people isn't going to help the game. Introducing new reward systems might bring in some fresh air.

Because this is elite. Just because FDev made the ship for exploring doesn't mean thats what people will want to use it for.

Even if they did, there are loads of people who love exploring that dont really enjoy the exploration gameplay.

 

[Greasetrap42]

I agree with the OP, especially with the strange payouts.

• Why are terraformables 25000LY from bubble worth so much when they aren't rare at all? - relative to other very rare items.
• Why do planets have so much of a payout if already been scanned and mapped by someone else last week? Isn't it basically worthless redundant info?
• Whats the point (pre-odyssy) of landing on planets. Other than stocking up on jumponium.
• Why isn't there a significant bonus for scanning/mapping an entire system? Wouldn't it be extremely useful to definitively know if there is/isn't something special/dangerous/valueble in the system?
• Why do we get Codex & credits for scanning a sample of one fumerol? Wouldn't there be good value in scanning multiple fumeroles per planet, perhaps with diminishing returns per scan? (to gain better understanding of the interior makeup and properties of the planet.) For potentially super valueble planets wouldn't as much info that can be gathered valueble? --> leading to multiple landings around a planet.

I also enjoy exploration. Its relaxing, nice screenshots, and I don't really care about the credits. But it would be nice if some more skill could be employed by the cmdr.

 

[Ameeleean]

Detailed Surface Scanner:
Infinite Number of probes replaced by n number of probes related to scanner class (module size). Once deployed they go into orbit, do the scanning by orbiting and once done return to ship. There can be advanced probe version which has class 0 FSD drive making it capable of in system travel. Probes have integrity and fuel tank.

Full System Scanner:
I would prefer to have automated version which would 1st scan stellar bodies present in system, then lock on each and do scan which we do manually now combined with player defined filter. Imagine something like that:
1. Jump in system
2. Initiate Full System Scan
3. Receive report with potential value of each body found (all if no player defined filter was set before).
4. Create points of interest target list which can be used either for manual travel or to send advanced detailed surface scanner probes.
5. Wait for incoming scan results (for example:
*Detailed Surface Scanner probe has found no unique structures on stellar body 1
*Detailed Surface Scanner probe has found unique geological formation on stellar body 2
*Detailed Surface Scanner probe has found rare minerals present on stellar body 3
*Detailed Surface Scanner probe has found sighs of carbon based life on stellar body 4
*Detailed Surface Scanner probe reserve fuel limit reached, returning to ship to refuel.
.
*Detailed Surface Scanner probe has found unusual structures on stellar body 9. Player investigation required.
.
.

*All points of interest scanned. All Detailed Surface Scanner probes on board. Scan completed.

It would be even more interesting for those two modules to be advanced versions usable on Fleet Carriers... where probes would be actually small sized player owned ships (so designed by player too) designated to be under FC AI control.

As for the number of discoveries possible for now I'm satisfied, I am even getting paid enough to support my FC weekly cost easily during this process. I'm more interested in possibilities of utilizing that exploration data found more:
*mineral rich worlds: far from nearest station (normal value), close to nearest station (high value)
*colonizable worlds: far from nearest station (normal value), close to nearest station (high value)
*unique worlds: very high value (earthlike with rings, moon, life present, earthlike orbiting red dwarf, etc)
*worlds with human crashed ships: far from nearest station (high value), close to nearest station (low value)
*worlds with alien civilization remains: value related to civilization stage (stone age, iron age, industrial, space faring, very high tech- latest two would trigger archeological megaship departure event).
*systems with alien ship wrecks present: very high value, possibility to discover unique ship module that once turned in for reverse engineering would be available for purchasing. For example
-tritium fuelled FSD drive, tritium fuel tank, tritium based ship reactor for smaller ships
-non-star focused FSD drive (meaning either jumping into system like now to main star or to the void between stars).
-chain jump experimental for FSD drive allowing multiplication of jump range by removing safety cd period between jumps and damaging FSD drive intergrity on completion (each multiplication of normal jump range raises damage to FSD drive once jump is completed).

 

[TheDragon2001]

Another thought that recently occurred to me in order to keep things interesting, would be to keep player wrecks. They already have models for wrecked ships/SRVs so why not just make a player death on or near the surface of a planet spawn one of those models as appropriate. Wrecks should probably not be spawned within X distance of special surface sites, especially guardian sites, because they would quickly become cluttered.
This would also allow you the opportunity to collect your lost cargo, though this cargo should probably not respawn as that would allow people to exploit it. (load up on rare items, crash, go back and collect, relog and collect again.)